Category: Armenia

Artsakh analyst Alen Ghevondyan was jailed over Facebook posts, then freed months later as a court dismissed the case. The hosts call it a repeating pattern.

In this Groong Week in Review episode, Hovik and Asbed examine the fourth anniversary of the September 2022 border war, Azerbaijan’s ongoing occupation of Armenian territory, and Pashinyan’s political trajectory toward recognizing Artsakh’s loss. We discuss Hajiyev’s inflammatory rhetoric, Armenia’s muted diplomatic response, TRIPP and semiconductor sovereignty, Pashinyan’s attendance at a Paris space summit, Russian financial flows through Armenia, and Russia-Iran coordination in the South Caucasus.

Non-combat deaths in Armenia’s army are rising sharply since the declared peace. The hosts detail a case of conscripts run over while forced to jog at night.

Pashinyan reportedly explains rising army deaths by saying that with no enemy shooting, soldiers grow lax and fight over who sleeps on watch.

The EU says Armenia can export 6,500 tons of cucumbers tariff-free. Armenia only produces 1,100. The hosts break down the export illusion.

The hosts read Arman Grigoryan’s 2012 words calling concessions to Azerbaijan a betrayal, then reveal he was born in Martuni, Artsakh.

Suren Sargsyan warns that Pashinyan’s government has developed no contingency plans if the U.S.-backed TRIPP project fails, leaving the country dangerously exposed.

Suren Sargsyan argues that Armenia’s best survival strategy is to avoid picking sides in the Russia-West rivalry, despite mounting pressure from both sides.

Suren Sargsyan traces the origins of TRIPP back decades and identifies Steve Witkoff as the key architect of the current U.S. initiative.

Suren Sargsyan analyzes why both Putin and Pashinyan publicly defer the decision on the 102nd Russian military base in Gyumri, avoiding responsibility while maintaining the status quo.

Suren Sargsyan explores whether Russia might cede South Caucasus dominance to Iran as a strategic partner, given Moscow’s focus on Ukraine.

In this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with Suren Sargsyan about the Iran War and great power competition for Armenia’s strategic position. We discuss Washington’s unclear endgame in the conflict with Iran, the future of Russia’s military presence in Armenia and CSTO membership, and competing U.S. and European interests in new east-west transit routes through Armenia and Central Asia amid broader geopolitical rivalries.

Armenia imports $18-20M in petroleum from Azerbaijan but exports only $960 worth of goods. Hovik reveals the fuel is actually Russian energy white-labeled through Baku, exposing the false ‘peace’ narrative.

School administrators forced underage students to attend Pashinyan campaign rallies during elections. The government declined to prosecute, issuing only administrative reprimands, a stark contrast to treatment of opposition figures.

Putin congratulates imprisoned Robert Kocharyan on his birthday while ignoring Pashinyan’s reelection. The hosts decode the geopolitical message behind this selective honor.

Tigranashen, a small village controlling roads between North and South Armenia, is the next territorial concession demanded by Azerbaijan as the price of ‘peace.’ Its strategic value exposes the coercive nature of the settlement.

Pashinyan intensifies crackdown against opposition figures post-election. Tsarukyan, Kocharyan, and Karapetyan face arrest and asset seizures as regime consolidates power.

Pashinyan plans 300 MW AI facility but would shut Metsamor nuclear plant, losing net power while creating dependency on Azerbaijani electricity imports.

Pashinyan frames the Third Republic as failed and proposes a Fourth Republic based on rejecting Artsakh claims and Armenian diaspora ties. Expert analysis reveals this mirrors Atatürk’s identity transformation strategy.

Pashinyan explicitly stated Armenia comprises 29,743 sq km, excluding Tigranashen. Expert analyzes this strategic territory’s importance and why Azerbaijan uses Jermuk occupation as leverage.

Pashinyan intensifies attacks on Armenian Apostolic Church after Catholicos speaks about Artsakh rights. Expert analysis reveals this targets the church’s diaspora ties and identity independence.

Matlock advises Armenia to avoid choosing sides in great-power competition and instead prioritize peaceful relations with neighbors and preservation of cultural identity.

In this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with Arthur G. Martirosyan about Armenia’s post-election political crisis and Pashinyan’s governance agenda. We discuss the arrest of opposition leaders including Robert Kocharyan, attacks on the Armenian Church, border concessions including Tigranashen, the TRIPP corridor, and how the Established Opposition is strategizing under state repression in the Fourth Republic.

In this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with Ambassador Jack Matlock, the last US Ambassador to the Soviet Union, about whether the West missed a historic opportunity to integrate Russia into Western security architecture after the Cold War. We discuss the internal collapse of the Soviet Union, Reagan-Gorbachev diplomacy, NATO expansion and Russian backlash, and how Cold War-era decisions shape Armenia’s geopolitical choices today, including Matlock’s firsthand observations of Soviet Armenia during glasnost and the Nagorno Karabakh movement.

Ambassador explains why Armenia’s nuclear power plant is not just an energy asset but a critical strategic deterrent against Turkish and Azerbaijani aggression, and why closing it would be catastrophic.

Russia ultimatum: Armenia must decide by December 2026 whether to hold EU membership referendum or face EAEU suspension. Ambassador explains why both paths lead to economic devastation.

Ambassador analyzes how Armenia’s opposition can block TRIPP ratification and constitutional changes even without enough votes to remove Pashinyan, and why this leverage will define coming months.

Former Ambassador Aghajanian argues TRIPP is designed as part of a U.S.-led ground operation strategy against Iran, putting Armenia in an extremely vulnerable position.

In this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with Dziunik Aghajanian about Armenia’s precarious position between Iran, Russia, and emerging Middle East power shifts. We discuss the Mecca joint defense pact signed by Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, Iran’s warnings over TRIPP, Ilham Aliyev’s militarization plans in Nakhijevan, Armenia’s growing energy dependence, Russian deadlines for Yerevan, and how the Established Opposition is testing its parliamentary strategy ahead of the 2026 Armenian Parliamentary Election.

Aliyev revealed that Azerbaijani technical teams have surveyed transmission line routes through Syunik for TRIPP, and he is now signaling that Armenia’s nuclear power plant could become a future demand.

A senior Iranian military advisor warns that Armenia will face the same treatment as US bases in the Middle East if TRIPP becomes a problem for Iran.

Experts argue Nakhichevan’s extreme militarization under Aliyev is primarily aimed at Iran, not Armenia, and reflects preparations for potential future conflict.

Armenia is largely absent from international political prisoner tracking databases despite widespread detention, house arrest, and administrative supervision of opposition figures.

Russia has given Armenia until December 2026 to hold a referendum on EU membership or face suspension from the Eurasian Economic Union and potential sanctions.

An apparent unwritten ethical agreement between Civil Contract and the opposition to maintain parliamentary civility masks a larger question: is Strong Armenia trading political leverage for immunity from prosecution?

In this episode of Groong Week in Review, Hovik and Asbed discuss Armenia’s precarious position amid escalating Iran War risks, Russia’s December ultimatum on the Eurasian Economic Union, and deepening security threats from TRIPP. We examine how a broader US-Iran conflict could devastate Armenia through refugee flows and logistics collapse, why Pashinyan’s EAEU defiance has triggered Russian pressure, and what frozen CSTO membership actually means for Armenian security.

Campbell proposes that Armenia’s landlocked position and fiber connectivity could make it a regional data hub, turning potential vulnerability into strategic advantage through trade and interconnection.

Campbell argues that Armenia’s real advantage from Firebird lies not in direct compute access but in the startup ecosystem, workforce development, and diaspora reconnection it catalyzes.

Campbell explains why Armenia’s data center need not violate export controls to gain strategic value, focusing on building institutional knowledge and sovereignty over the long term.

Campbell advises Armenia to treat Firebird as a human-capital investment, not merely a data center project, focusing on workforce development and talent retention.

In this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with Richard Campbell about artificial intelligence infrastructure and Armenia’s Firebird project. We discuss the global AI race, the economics and energy demands of data centers, whether current AI valuations align with physical and economic realities, and what sovereign AI capacity means for Armenia’s strategic positioning.

Hovik profiles Aryeh Lightstone, the Orthodox rabbi and Abraham Accords architect now advising on TRIPP implementation in Armenia.

Hovik and Asbed detail how government officials’ wives are drawing astronomical salaries through rigged job contests while state enterprises decline.

Asbed and Hovik discuss Armenia’s impossible balancing act between EAEU membership and EU integration, and the economic and political consequences of Pashinyan’s refusal to choose.

The judge in the case against Catholicos Garegin II recuses himself citing a dubious conflict of interest, likely recognizing the case’s lack of legal merit.